Published 4:00 am, Sunday, February 12, 2006

Photo: RON KUNTZ

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LeBron James (23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers makes a jump shot over Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter of their NBA game at The Q in Cleveland, Ohio February 11, 2006. REUTERS/Ron Kuntz 0 less

LeBron James (23) of the Cleveland Cavaliers makes a jump shot over Jason Richardson of the Golden State Warriors during the first quarter of their NBA game at The Q in Cleveland, Ohio February 11, 2006. ... more

2006-02-12 04:00:00 PDT Cleveland -- The Warriors knew better than most what being shorthanded can do for a team. Twice they've played Indiana without starters Jermaine O'Neal and Jamaal Tinsley, and twice they've been battered into submission by the Pacers' supporting cast.

So when the Warriors, already down starter Troy Murphy, watched Baron Davis crumple to the floor with 1:17 left in the first quarter Saturday, they knew exactly what had to be done. Doing it in crunch time was the real shocker. The Warriors finally reversed their late-game woes with clutch baskets and timely stops to salvage their road trip with an impressive 99-91 win over Cleveland and LeBron James.

Jason Richardson scored 31 points to offset James' game-high 33, and Richardson had plenty of help despite having two-fifths of the Warriors starting lineup out with sprained ankles. Derek Fisher had 18 points and six assists in place of the injured Davis. Mike Dunleavy added 14 points and five assists. Andris Biedrins and Ike Diogu combined to go 8-for-8 from the field and score 17 points. And Monta Ellis even recorded a career-high three assists.

"This is a big character win for us right here, there's no other way to put it," said Fisher, who assumed the point guard duties when Davis went down. "Everybody made contributions. Everybody did their part.

"That's the only way we can continue to be successful, if each guy holds himself accountable for what he's capable of doing and not trying to do much more than that."

Every Warrior that played ended up in the scoring column except for Davis, whose status looks shaky for the immediate future. He landed on James' foot after chasing a loose ball, called for a substitution, and limped directly to the locker room.

As Davis received treatment on his right ankle, his teammates were busy making up for his absence. Richardson bounced back from a poor shooting night against Indiana by making his first three attempts and had 14 points by the end of the first quarter. Most of those came over, under, and all around James, who looked lost defensively as the Warriors carved out a 29-23 lead after the opening period.

"He's got a lot of pride in his game," Warriors coach Mike Montgomery said of his leading scorer. "I think he thinks he can put up numbers every game he plays. And right now, if you talk to him, he's probably upset at the free throws that he missed."

Montgomery was referring to three straight foul shots missed by Richardson in the fourth quarter, when Dunleavy also airballed a free throw. The Warriors were 4-for-11 from the foul line in the final period and they shot a dreadful 55 percent for the game.

But for once, the clutch plays were there. Richardson got a rare offensive rebound for an easy layup to make it 90-86 with 3:54 to go. Two trips later, he hit a 3-pointer to answer Damon Jones. And when Jones missed his next attempt, Mickael Pietrus extended the lead with an 18-footer.

"When you have a fallen teammate, especially one of your go-to guys on the team, you need to step up. And guys stepped up to the bell," Richardson said. "We've had a lot of games this season where we kind of let go at the end and let the team come back and win games. We were determined to win this game tonight."

"We were forced to spread the ball around and everybody relied on each other," Dunleavy added. "We got some good shots, made some good plays, and we also hit the tough shots. Some nights, that's going to happen. And those nights, you feel good."

50-game Checkup
How the Warriors' first 50 games this year compare to last year:
2004-05 Stat 2005-06
14-36 Record 23-27
2-8 Last 10 4-6
92.5 Points for 100.1
99.7 Points against 100.1